Ranging from classic side dishes for BBQ chicken recipes like baked beans, cole slaw, mac and cheese, and corn bread to more creative ideas like corn ribs and bacon-studded potato salad, you can’t go wrong with any selection here. With one, it's a terrific dinner. But invite two or three of these side dishes for BBQ chicken, and all of sudden, you have a crowd-pleasing (and delicious) party.
Fresh Corn Salad with Stone Fruit and Herbs
BBQ chicken recipes are staples in our homes year round, but if we had to pick a prime time for this saucy supper, we’d say it’s summer. That’s also when you’ll find juicy nectarines and peaches and fresh sweet corn on repeat on our menus, so why not showcase them all as part of one supremely summery menu? This seasonal side dish for BBQ chicken is like a modern twist on panzanella, with baked pita chips in place of the bread, corn and stone fruit in place of the tomatoes and cucumbers, and fresh mint and parsley in lieu of the basil.
BLT Potato Salad
Which came first: The chicken or the egg? No need to decide. With this crispy bacon- and hard-cooked egg-studded potato salad as your side dish for BBQ chicken, you can alternate bites of both for the best of all culinary worlds.
Test Kitchen Tip: To drive home the BLT sandwich vibes, serve this on top of or tucked inside sturdy lettuce leaves.
Best Baked Beans
When we reflect on the side dish section of menus at restaurants that serve fried and BBQ chicken, baked beans almost always make an appearance. One feature that often makes those restaurant sides stand out? Bacon. You better believe we include plenty in this next-level side dish for BBQ chicken. Six salty, savory slices of bacon team up with three different kinds of canned beans in a sauce with notes that reminds us of—you guessed it—BBQ sauce.
Corn Bread
Beloved by BHG readers for decades, since it was first published in our red plaid New Cookbook, this classic corn bread recipe is one of our best side dishes for BBQ chicken…and pretty much any cookout or comfort food main dish. Fans deem it their “go-to cornbread recipe” because it’s “quick and easy,” “adapts well to different kinds of cornmeal,” the sweetness level can be customized (opt for 2 to 4 tablespoons of sugar, depending on your preference), and because the leftovers are dreamy in stuffing. “My family devours this cornbread,” one home cook says.
Test Kitchen Tip: Once you’ve mastered the classic baking dish version, try the same batter in a hot cast-iron skillet or a muffin tin. Or if you’d like to jazz-up the flavor, check out the sweet pepper, green chile, green onion-bacon, and double corn variations.
Copycat Coleslaw
KFC fans: We specifically tested and perfected this side dish for BBQ chicken just for you! When we tasted this coleslaw recipe side-by-side with the fast-food chain’s menu item, we had a tough time telling the difference…except for the fact that our version’s veggies were often crisper. This fresh slaw is a particularly nice companion to chicken recipes that err on the spicy side. The creamy dressing and pleasant hint of sweetness will help tame the kick.
Macaroni and Cheese
It’s tough to deny the nostalgic, taste bud-pleasing nature of boxed mac and cheese. But when you can have lusciously-creamy homemade mac and cheese in just 30 minutes—and with just four ingredients on hand—why opt for the powdered “cheese”? This stovetop mac is a breeze to pull together while your BBQ chicken cooks.
Test Kitchen Tip: If you’re fond of crunchy-topped baked mac and cheese, increase the milk by ½ cup, transfer the cheesy pasta to a casserole dish, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
Grilled Radicchio with Cheese
If you’re making BBQ chicken on the grill, ask those grates to do double duty and tackle the side, too. This tangy, funky, and satisfying marinated grilled vegetable option is conveniently timed to take a mere 10 to 13 minutes to cook; an ideal timespan to rest your chicken. (This allows the juices to recirculate back into the meat—rather than stream out onto your plate or cutting board.)
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
We’re suckers for a recipe that allows for multitasking, and this pickle-flavored pasta salad showcases one of our favorite timesavers to date. Simultaneously add the bowtie pasta and eggs to a pot of boiling water. Cook both for 12 minutes, then drain the pasta (to toss with the creamy, pickle brine-spiked dressing) and place the eggs in an ice bath (so they’ll cool off so you can peel and chop them to toss into the salad). Finish the side dish with diced veggies, chopped crispy bacon, fresh dill, and chopped dill pickles to drive home the theme.
Corn Ribs
If the BBQ aspect of the chicken isn’t quite enough, add this side dish to the menu and you can enjoy a triple-play of cookout-style flavor. Before air-frying or roasting the corn ribs, toss them with BBQ rub. Then once they’ve cooked and curled into their unique “rib” shape, brush the corn with a zesty BBQ mayo.
Cherry Caprese Salad
When the heat is really on, consider this side dish for BBQ chicken. If you start with purchased balsamic glaze, this fresh and fruity twist on Caprese salad is a completely no-cook recipe. We know fresh cherries might seem like an odd addition to a tomato, basil, and burrata salad, but trust us. The sweet-tart qualities of both types of fruit (yes, tomatoes are technically a fruit!) mingle beautifully atop the lusciously creamy cheese and under a shower of balsamic, olive oil, and fresh basil leaves.
Cucumber-Tomato Salad
Here’s another no-oven-required winner. And to take the heat off even more if you’re hosting a large gathering, this stellar side dish for BBQ chicken is actually designed to be made 1 to 4 hours ahead. This allows the light and lovely cucumber and tomato salad to chill out (yes, please) and soak up flavor from the punchy ginger-infused vinaigrette.
Million Layer Potatoes
Admittedly, this trendy TikTok recipe doesn’t actually involve a million layers. Still, the several layers it does feature are extremely eye-catching and allow for a craving-busting bite that’s crispy on the outside and fluffy in the center. Although this side dish for BBQ looks fussy, a mandoline makes quick work out of the slicing step and allows you to get this on the table in less than an hour.
Classic Broccoli Salad
One bite of this side dish for BBQ chicken practically transports us back to the Midwestern neighborhood potlucks and picnics we enjoyed as kids. The sturdy veggie gets billing rights, but this broccoli recipe is really all about the mix-ins (crumbled crispy bacon and sunflower seeds)—and the ridiculously easy dressing, that one five-star reviewer says is “spot on.”
Spicy Watermelon Salad
Invite Padma Lakshmi to your cookout…or, at least ask her easy chile, cucumber, and watermelon recipes to join you! Salty feta, zippy fresh mint, and a citrusy dressing make this “the best party salad ever,” according to one BHG fan. “The taste is crisp and summery!”
Test Kitchen Tip: Yuzu juice is available at many supermarkets and online, however, if you can’t find it, fresh lime juice is a terrific alternative.
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